Reality
by yama.sde
Summary: After an unexpected situation leaves Tatsumi alone on the isolated southern island, he decides to take his own path towards eradicating the corrupt empire.


_So in the very unlikely chance that you came browsing for Akame ga Kill fanfiction, you probably stumbled upon mine as it is, what, one of only nine? Anyway, I'd like to talk about a few things before this chapter starts..._

_The story starts from when Tatsumi and Esdese are teleported to the remote southern island and talk about their past. You'll see that Tatsumi's story has a bunch of randomly added facts (yes, in the story, these are facts). We know next to nothing about his village as of chapter 50 so just about everything is made up there. _

_Tatsumi will **not **be apart of Night Raid in this story (he "leaves," goes AWOL essentially...)._

_Don't expect chapters to be this short._

_That's all I really have to say at this point. Expect a bunch of crap to happen._

* * *

"Wai…wait! What the hell are you doing?!" Tatsumi exclaimed. "Ti..timeout!"

He stuttered as the woman in front of him, Esdese, slowly approached him on her knees. Her face came dangerously close, within inches of his own. Tatsumi stared into her blue eyes and blushed. Even he couldn't resist the undeniable beauty of the Empire's Strongest.

"If you want me to stop, then tell me about your past," Esdese proposed while smiling.

Tatsumi averted his eyes and looked towards the surrounding sea. He needed to escape this island, if only to get as far away from the sadistic woman in front of him as possible. Looking back over at Esdese who continued to await his response, Tatsumi tried to imagine how such a person became so twisted. The stories he'd heard from fellow Night Raid members depicted her as a heartless monster with a thirst for fighting and torture. Recalling their "adventures" on this isolated land, he didn't see a bloodthirsty, cruel person; he saw genuine smiles and laughter and a genuinely happy woman.

"Ahem," Esdese cleared her throat to get Tatsumi's attention, not that she disliked staring at his contemplative face. "So, what is it? Will you tell me your story?"

Tatsumi snapped out of his thoughts and cleared his throat as well, perhaps he could get some information out of her by talking.

"Well, I came from a really poor village in the countryside," he started. "We barely had enough food to eat, especially during winter. Although we didn't have much money, the entire village was one big family. Everybody knew each other and if someone needed help, the whole village wouldn't hesitate to lend a hand."

He lowered his head to stare at the ground.

"A village can't run off of love and support, though. Trade in my home village is nearly nonexistent as we produce nothing of worth. All the money is brought in by villagers who managed to join the Empire's army and even that's barely enough to sustain the vilage."

Esdese listened carefully, absorbing Tatsumi's every word while keeping a smile on her face.

"Growing up without parents, I relied on the villagers' kindness and support to live. Even when they didn't have enough for themselves, they gave to me. The villagers would rather starve than see someone suffer; that's the kind of people they are."

"Tatsumi…" Esdese hugged her legs and stared at the sand beneath her, smiling sadly.

"When I was five, I began to understand the hardships our village endured every year. It made me want to help everyone. That's when I met a retired soldier who lived in the village. Although I was merely five, I convinced him to take me in and train me to become a fighter. I convinced myself that my life goal would be to climb through the Empire Army ranks and make enough money for the entire village to live happily, so I trained for the next fourteen years. Just a few months ago, I decided it was time to leave the village and head for the Capital, the *glorious* place that I thought would save my village."

The temperature dropped a few degrees as heavy rain began to fall. Within seconds, it drenched Tatsumi, allowing his eyes to be covered by wet hair. "Tatsumi, we shou—"

"Heh, looking back on it, I was just a really stupid kid," his sad, ungenuine smile gave for a very rare sight. Esdese didn't like it. "To think the Capital was just a place filled with assholes and corrupt politicians who don't give a damn about anybody but themselves. I came to make money, but I haven't sent back a single coin. Tch, how useless can I be…even to Nigh—"

Esdese didn't like this Tatsumi. She hated him this way. She hated this smile. She hated this sad tone. She hated Tatsumi being sad.

"Stop," she said in a commanding voice. "This isn't Tatsumi!"

Tatsumi lifted his head abruptly and looked up with widened eyes. He never intended to reveal that much information to Esdese, but he couldn't stop after starting. While telling his story, Tatsumi began to realize just how little he'd accomplished since leaving the village, since *their* deaths. In his time with Night Raid, Braht died due to Tatsumi's inexperience and lack of skill. It frustrated him to think that even after fourteen years of preparing himself, he still lacked the skill to make anything of himself.

"I-I'm sorry…" he apologized, not wanting to anger Esdese. She didn't respond, continuing to stare at Tatsumi's soaked face.

The smile on her face disappeared long ago, replaced with a sharp, calculating look. The two sat on the soggy sand in silence while the seemlingly relentless rain fell harder by the minute. Despite the precipitation, the air held a certain peacefulness. This peacefulness bothered Tatsumi; he couldn't take it any longer.

"…Esdese…" he spoke quietly.

Esdese looked at Tatsumi with a hint of surprise and a blush on her face. For the first time since meeting Tatsumi, he called her by her name.

"Tatsumi, you—"

He cut her off, "Since I told you about my past, it's only fair that you tell yours too."

Esdese secretly cheered; this certainly seemed more like a date now. She stood up and moved closer to Tatsumi, choosing to sit behind him and lean against his back, allowing their wet clothes to touch. He turned his head in surprise, but decided to allow it, not feeling any immediate danger.

"My past, huh…" Esdese began. "I was born in a northern village and my father was the leader of our clan. When I was seven, my father began sending me out to hunt for prey, creatures like big dragons and other danger beasts. We would capture them and cut them open alive, taking all the innards. It was my father's form of training for me. He taught me that not just in our village, but in this world, 'The strong live and the weak die.' It makes perfect sense; where we lived, you either chose to kill or be killed."

Tatsumi couldn't believe such a father existed, one who taught their child to kill from such a young age. To justify killing with reasoning such as 'kill or be killed,' it made him sick.

"One day, after spending days in the mountains searching for a rare species of evil bird, I ran back to the village to show father my prey. When I arrived, my entire clan had been slaughtered. Every single one of them."

The rain began to die down. Tatsumi's body shook slightly.

"But my father…he was just barely alive. His last words were, 'live strong.'" "Wh-what did you do…with his body?"

Esdese turned around and stared at the side of Tatsumi's head.

"I burned it."

His eyes widened, he felt nauseous. Tatsumi glanced behind him and saw the deadly pupils of Esdese. He shook uncontrollably and began backing away, staring at her like an outcast.

"Tatsumi, what are you doing?" she asked sadly, her lethal face replaced with one of worry.

"Ge-ge-get away f-from me, you monster!" he screamed, picked himself up, and ran as fast as he could.

Tatsumi didn't care where he went; he needed to get away from that woman.

Esdese put her arm out, as if reaching for something, "Tatsumi, what…are you saying?"

She fell onto her knees in shock. The eyes of Esdese became void of anything.

"A monster…? Tatsumi called me a…monster?"

At that moment, a circle of light appeared beneath her, the same circle of light that teleported Tatsumi and her to this remote island. It took her a few seconds to realize what this meant, a few seconds too many.

"Tatsumi!" she screamed, attempting to jump out of the circle.

Esdese held her arm out, almost expecting Tatsumi to grab it. Light enveloped her and within an instant, the remote island disappeared, replaced with the familiar sight of a mountain.

Tatsumi's presence couldn't be felt, not even a speck of it.

"Tatsumi...!"


End file.
